Health Insurance Guide #3: Employee Health Insurance

Welcome to part 3 of AJ's Japanese health insurance extravaganza! Today we will be covering the second part of the Japanese public health system, the Employee Health Insurance (EHI) scheme.

Being an ALT #15: Elementary Lesson Plan Example

One of our readers recently gave a very insightful comment about being a new JET and feeling overwhelmed by the elementary school lessons she's asked to teach as part of her position.

Elementary is definitely a different ball game from the (until recently) more common junior high school and high school ALT placements. Today we'll offer some brief opinions on what makes the elementary environment different and share an example lesson format that struggling new ALTs can try out.

Buying Clothes and Shoes in Japan

If you are slightly larger or differently built than the average Japanese person, you will quickly find you have very limited choice when it comes to clothes and shoes. Even in Tokyo and other big cities you can have trouble.

WS: Eigo Noto 2: 5 General Vocab

Everyone can play ohajiki

I made this lesson plan for an elementary lesson I taught last week. I was asked to teach them the vocabulary needed for Eigo Noto 2 L5 (shops and buildings, library etc). However this lesson plan can be used to teach any vocabulary, and I would even use it with 1st grade JHS students.

Health Insurance Guide #2: National Health Insurance

Welcome to the second part of our (weekly) comprehensive health insurance guide. 

In this section, we will be looking at the fundamentals of the National Health Insurance (kokumin kenko hoken 国民健康保険 or simply "NHI"); specifically eligibility, costs and benefits.

Rice Paddy Art

Rice Paddy art (田んぼアート) has become increasingly popular over recent years; with tiny towns drawing tens of thousands of visitors to view these intricate works of art magically growing out of the ground.

I say Po-tay-to... Endless Varieties of Potatoes in Japan

In language school, I learned one word for "potato" in Japanese: ジャガイモ (jagaimo). Turns out, real life isn't as simple as language school would have you believe. In Japanese supermarkets, I've rarely seen the vegetable actually labeled with the word I learned as a student, and the varieties popular in Japan look just different enough from the ones I'm used to at home that at first I had to ask someone in the shop: "Do you have any... ジャガイモ?"

So, what are potatoes called in supermarkets? What varieties are popular here? And what are the differences between them? Read on to find out!

WS: "Don't Pick the Flower!" JHS 1st G

About midway through the year (chapter 4 in New Crown), you'll be teaching first graders commands: "Don't use my camera" etc

Here's a fun activity I came up with today.

Health Insurance Guide #1: The Fundamentals 2/2

Welcome back to part 2 of AccessJ's Japanese health insurance super guide. In this section, we will continue discussing the fundamentals of the insurance system including how to pay, co-payments, and third party damages. 


Read on...

Japanese Language Online Radio Stations

Exposure to spoken Japanese is an important part of learning, of course. So, if you aren't actually in Japan, how about the radio? More portable than TV and film (that is, if you record it).

And so, here is a list of Japanese online radio stations:

Renting a Car in Japan

If you're not quite ready to take the leap to buying your own car in Japan, but you still want access to a vehicle for a few days to travel or move house, consider renting a car. In today's post, we'll mention some attractive reasons to rent in Japan and introduce a site that can set up rentals on your behalf, at a discount and all in English.

Health Insurance Guide #1: The Fundamentals 1/2

At first glance, the Japanese health insurance system my seem more than a little opaque; and employers are often unhelpful when it comes to signing up (English conversation schools and dispatch firms being the biggest culprits). 


But fear not, we at AccessJ have your back with our newest guide.